There are many different areas you can look at when you have your own business that will indicate whether what you have is the real deal—or just a hobby you happen to be dabbling in.

You may even be adamant about how serious you are about your business, and that’s great.  But in the work I do with my private clients, upon taking a closer look at their businesses I often find that there are a few common indicators that show just how serious they really are. (And by using the word serious here, I don’t mean to say they aren’t committed to their business or don’t want it to succeed, it just means they need to make some shifts in the way they are currently treating it.)

I recently gave a talk that covered this on a colleague’s telesummit, and here are three areas I touched on that YOU can look at too to see where your business might be right now.

1) The Money

My coach once said to me: “Money loves being paid attention to, and it will get our attention, one way or the other.”

You HAVE to know where you are in your business, not only the money coming in, but the money going out.  It sounds obvious, but I freely admit that the first year I was in business I was not the greatest in this department. However, once I started tracking my money DAILY, I started making more. Funny how that works.

There are other pieces that come into play here too: handing over taxes to be done by a CPA, incorporating, keeping your business and personal accounts separate, socking money away for savings, knowing when it’s time to invest back into the business for your own personal development and education—all of those things are important and make a big difference—they certainly did for me.

2) The Mindset

This is a biggie and it’s something I work with my private clients on extensively. I’ve learned that to go big in your business and in your life, you have to think big—and not necessarily act from the place where you are now. If you’re a 5-figure business owner, you need to make decisions as if you are already a 6-figure business owner.  If you’re a 6-figure business owner, you need to act like a 7-figure business owner would.  What would a 6-figure business owner do?  What would a 7-figure business owner do? What happens is that this literally begins PULLING you forward into that place.

I make it a priority to work on my own growth as much as I work on my business. Whether that means having a coach, reading inspiring books, turning off the news, surrounding yourself with people who already are where you want to be—it’s very key.

There is something to be said for staying in a place of positivity and focusing on what you want instead of what you don’t.  There is an attraction piece there—but what a lot of people miss, is that it’s attraction PLUS action. You need to have both, and here’s the great thing about action: action mitigates fear.

Fear, doubt, resistance–we all experience it.  But it can be very immobilizing, and sitting there doing nothing, or staying in a loop of thinking you don’t know enough, or you’ll just do a little more research, or you’ll be able to do it when you have X in place—just makes it worse.  Get into action.

Nike had it right, just do it. I can tell you from experience that it works wonders.

3) The Productivity

The un-sexiest part, right?  Maybe, but it’s crucial.  Entrepreneurs need to be ruthless with their time.

How?

Batch your calls on the same day. Make sure your environment supports you in staying productive. Chunk down the tasks you need to do each day so you’re super-clear on where your focus needs to be. Use a calendaring system that works for you. Have a STRATEGY for Facebook and Twitter so you’re not wasting all day. Check your email less. Prioritize money-making activities more.

You get the picture. 😉

Sometimes people think there’s a magic pill or some kind of big secret to being successful, to making 6 figures, all of that.  But the reality is not all that complicated. It’s doing things in a certain way, it’s doing them consistently and it’s about persisting. And yes, the result is you have more money, but to me that just means more freedom, and more peace of mind—and that’s priceless.

Because when you’re struggling to make ends meet or you’re constantly worried about cash flow, you can’t make the impact on the world that you really want to. And you also probably can’t be at the top of your game for your clients, either.  It’s not a fun place to be and it’s distracting and not conducive to doing your best work.

So even more than the number of zeros in your bank account, it’s about having joy in your business and your life, and helping others in a big way.  And all of that begins with treating your business LIKE a business, right?

Would LOVE to hear your thoughts and comments on this below!

Photo credit: trilogyonline